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A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights rights whatsoever.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally to hospital patient clothing, and more particularly, to hospital patient clothing that may be placed on the patient while the patient is laying down and resembles conventional clothing.
2. Description of the Background Art
Hospital gowns for hospital patients are well known in the art. Conventional hospital gowns comprise a long shirt-like structure that ties in the back. Hospital gowns are typically placed on the patient while the patient is standing or sitting up. For certain patients, sitting or standing up can aggravate existing injuries or ailments and result in great discomfort to the patient. In addition, conventional clothing may be difficult to put on a patient because of the design of the clothing and in certain situations, the existence of hospital tubes and cords. Moreover, hospital gowns are unattractive, such that many patients are embarrassed by their appearance in the gown, especially when receiving guests. In fact, it is believed that a patient""s mood and attitude can be adversely affected by wearing the same hospital gown every day and in some instances, result in a feeling of hopelessness. Conversely, a patient""s mood and attitude could be improved by having a selection of stylized hospital gowns that resemble conventional clothing. However, the prior art fails to provide stylized hospital gowns that resemble conventional clothes. Consequently, there exists a need for hospital patient clothing that resembles conventional clothes, but is more easily and conveniently worn.
Several forms of clothing and gowns are known in the background art. However, none of these addresses or solves the foregoing. For instance, references known in the art disclose various hospital gowns and garments adapted for convenient use by patients and the physically impaired. For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,276,036, 3,490,072, 4,964,173, and 5,157,789 disclose shirts and gowns that have front and back panels that are effectively hinged along one side and are connectable along an opposite side. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,736,900, 4,258,440, 4,787,101, 5,062,159 and 6,115,839 disclose a front flap and back flap that are joined along a top edge and are releasably joined along the sides. U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,270 discloses a garment that employs zippers and buttons for closing the sleeves and front panel. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,914,756 and 4,638,509 disclose trousers that use clips and straps to connect the side edges of the pant legs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,123 discloses an upper garment formed of one or more sheets or sections in which all openings are separable along at least one seam so that the garment may be laid out flat.
As the above noted art fails to provide hospital clothing that may be worn like a gown, may be placed on a patient with minimal movement of the patient, accommodates hospital tubes and cords and resembles conventional clothing, there exists a need for such clothing. The instant invention solves this problem by providing hospital garments having these characteristics.
Based on the foregoing, it is a primary object of the instant invention to provide hospital patient garments that may be placed on and worn by a patient while laying down.
It is another object of the instant invention to provide hospital patient garments that resemble conventional clothes.
It is an additional object of the instant invention to provide hospital patient garments that may be draped over a patient and secured to the patient without moving the patient or in a manner that only requires minimal movement.
It is a further object of the instant invention to provide hospital patient garments that accommodate tubes and cords that are attached to the patient.
It is also an object of the instant invention to provide hospital patient garments that fit a plurality of different sized people.
It is still another object of the instant invention to provide hospital patient garments that are adjustable to the size of the patient.
It is yet another object of the instant invention to provide hospital patient garments that allow a patient to preserve dignity.
In light of the foregoing objects, the instant invention provides hospital patient garments, including shirts, dresses and pants that resemble conventional clothing while offering the convenience of conventional hospital gowns. The hospital patient garments comprise a central panel, a first sleeve panel and second sleeve panel connected to opposite side edges of the central panel, first side panel and second side panel connected to opposite side edges of the central panel below the first and second sleeve panels, third sleeve panel and fourth sleeve panel defined between the first and second sleeve panels and side panels, respectively, upper back panel, collar, head and neck opening defined by the central panel, plurality of buttonholes in the first and second sleeve panels and first and second side panels, and a plurality of buttons affixed to the sleeve panels, side panels and center panels. The center panel defines a central seam that resembles the front button-up portion of a conventional shirt, however, remains permanently closed to give the look of a conventional shirt while remaining permanently closed. The buttonholes and buttons are strategically placed or defined in the sleeve panels, side panels and, or central panel to facilitate the adjustment of the garment""s width to accommodate various sized people and, or to secure the garment to a patient. The buttonholes and buttons on the first and second sleeve panels secure the sleeves around a patient""s arms and have openings therebetween for receiving and passing hospital tubes and cords. The buttonholes and buttons on the side panels and center panel are used to adjust the width of the garment. The third and fourth sleeve panels join the first and second sleeve panels to the first and second side panels, respectively, so as to completely cover the torso and arms of the patient. The third and fourth sleeve panels may be completely or partially connected to the side panels or completely detached. The head and neck opening is designed to fit over an average person""s head and may comprise stretchable material to accommodate larger heads. The upper back panel drapes over the patients"" shoulders and partially down the back.
The hospital patient clothing may comprise a shirt, dress and, or pants. The shirt and dress versions of the hospital patient clothing are similar in design, albeit, different in length. In addition, the dress version of the instant invention may vary in its appearance, such as not having a central seam section that resembles a buttoned-up shirt. The pants of the instant invention comprise two leg sections that drape and lap over a patient""s legs and waist region and may be adjusted in width and/or by folding the pant legs over and securing them with the available buttons and buttonholes or hook-and-loop.
The hospital patient clothing may be placed on a patient with little or no movement of the patient. The shirt and dress versions of the instant invention are draped over a patient""s torso region and secured thereto by wrapping the first and second sleeve panels around the patient""s arms and securing the same with the available buttonholes and buttons. The width of the shirt and/or dress garment is adjusted by folding in the first and second side panels and securing them in place by aligning and connecting the appropriate buttons and buttonholes. The garment may have a plurality of button columns to facilitate a plurality of selectable widths. Alternatively, at least one side panel may have the plurality of buttons along one edge on the exterior surface of the garment, i.e. opposite the interior surface where the button columns and buttonholes may be found, to allow the side panels to be wrapped completely around the patient""s torso and secured so that the shirt covers the patient""s back. In the preferred embodiment, the side panels"" width are adjusted by selecting the appropriate button columns and leaving additional material for tucking under the patient""s sides. Similarly, the pants version of the instant invention is worn by draping the pants over the patient""s waist and legs. The width of the pant legs are adjusted by connecting the buttonholes with the appropriate buttons leaving excess material for tucking underneath the patient""s legs. Alternatively, the pant legs may be secured around a patient""s legs by joining the buttonholes and buttons. Likewise, the waist width of the pants version of the instant invention may be adjusted by folding the upper pant flanges inward and securing it in place with corresponding buttonholes and buttons.
In accordance with these and other objects, which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings.